When Hanuman threw a fit !

KEESARAGUTTA ( or, Kesari Ghatta  ) 

Did not  set out to see this place. In fact , had not even heard of it. It just happened to be on the way from somewhere to somewhere on a hectic, jampacked  itinerary ; so looked in , not really knowing what to expect. Just that it was a Siva temple, yes, with nice new, whitewashed towers and cement arches pointing the way.

The usual pushing and shoving around for a darshan.....and then, they  direct you to the hillside. 

Now, this was a discovery ! Hills and valleys around. And scattered all over, dozens of Shivalingams ! With daylight fading and no lights  behind the temple, it certainly was one eerie sight ! Round headed stones  emerging from the earth like dark , giant mushrooms in a godforsaken wasteland.

Got the story from another visitor. The often heard one about Rama wanting to do a sivapuja and asking Hanuman to fetch him a lingam . The latter goes off all the way to varanasi , poor chap, and comes back with a shopping cart full of selections for his Lord. But the lord, not wanting to miss some auspicious time has gone ahead and installed a lingam given by someone else ( Siva himself, i think ) . So our hardworking hero is mightily upset and flings his booty across the hills like a petulous child throwing his toys . There they lie  still. 

Mythology aside, wonder who made so many lingams and discarded them here. The temple itself is not so memorable, but cannot forget the unsettling feeling those scattered lingams evoked on that dark late evening.